I’m now in my sixth year on the Provo Municipal Council and I have really enjoyed serving my Provo neighbors. One of the biggest challenges that we seem to face on the council is finding ways to get input from the public on the various issues we have in front of us.

There are some who regularly follow our activity and share their thoughts via calls, emails and meetings, but we want to hear from more of you. The council has worked for months to draft an update to Provo’s General Plan and this is a key opportunity for residents to weigh in.

The General Plan is a guideline for the city’s future development goals and provides policy statements to achieve those goals. It is the foundation for establishing purposes, zoning, and activities allowed on each land parcel to provide compatibility and continuity to the entire region as well as each neighborhood.

We have worked to update the plan by simplifying some of the language and making it more consistent across all sections. Specific attention was paid to identifying future land uses and aligning the General Plan with current master plans and other visioning documents.

It is especially important to us to make sure that Vision 2030 and the General Plan were aligned in order to provide a more cohesive plan and to develop appropriate policies for Provo.

The draft of the updated General Plan is now available on Open City Hall (OpenCityHall.provo.org) for the public to read and contribute their input. Council members want to hear from you as we move through this important process.

— Gary Winterton, Provo